10c Green, Ty. II, III (15/14/15). Vertical block of six, Positions 21-22/31-32/41-42L1, top and bottom stamps Ty. III, middle stamps Ty. II, Position 31L is the strongest double transfer on Plate 1, margins to in, affixed over sender's route directive "Via N York and Southampton" and used a with single perforated 1857 10c Green, Ty. III (33), tied by "Mobile Ala. May 11" (1858) circular datestamps on small cover to Calcutta, India, left stamps also cancelled by pen, red "New-York Br. Pkt. May 18" backstamp, magenta "34" credit and red London transit datestamp, manuscript "1" British Colonial credit marking, Bombay and Calcutta backstamps, receipt and answer docketing at left, block with some minor creasing and affixed over flap where the cover is opened, actually remarkable condition for such a use

VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE COVER FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES, INCLUDING THE USE OF A LARGE BLOCK OF THE 10-CENT 1855 IMPERFORATE, THE COMBINATION OF IMPERFORATE AND PERFORATED ISSUES, AND INDIA AS A DESTINATION WITH THE 1851-56 IMPERFORATE ISSUE.

The large 70c franking on this cover to India is vexing, but an accompanying letter from Richard Winter offers a reasonable explanation. Winter speculates that since a 70c rate to the East Indies (which sometimes included India) via Prussian Closed Mail was published in the 1857 PL&R, that may have been the rate the sender intended to pay. An alternative explanation is that since the three left imperforate stamps were wrapped around the back when the cover was mailed, the postmaster perhaps did not notice them and applied a 10c perforated stamp to make up the deficiency for the 39c rate via Marseilles. When the three stamps on the back were discovered they were pen cancelled. In any event the cover was not carried by Prussian Closed Mail, but rather by Cunard steamer and British Mail via Marseilles. It was also not overweight based on the 34c New York credit (New York retained only 5c). As a result this cover is overpaid by a substantial 31c. All of these factors make this a remarkable and likely unique use.

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